Nieuwe Instituut – Modernisms along the Indian Ocean (ongoing)

The Map of India, Arabia, the Horn of Africa the and Indian Ocean by Pedro and Jorge Reinel of the Miller Atlas, a Portuguese illustrated atlas dated from 1519. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Modernisms along the Indian Ocean is a research project that traces how the Indian Ocean connects the intertwined regions of Europe, Africa and Asia through the port cities that line its coastline. These port cities are hubs of exchange, cultural heritage and community, demonstrating the great geopolitical influence of the Indian Ocean in today’s complex world.

The architecture, infrastructure, environment and hinterlands of these port cities reveal a multitude of stories about the areas connected by the Indian Ocean. Traditionally the scene of countless encounters and contacts, from peaceful exchanges to colonialism and imperialism, ports are places where cultural heritage, both material and intangible, is created, and where different diasporas and communities emerge.